


Geology

by kaxen



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-16
Updated: 2015-11-16
Packaged: 2018-05-01 23:27:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5225246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaxen/pseuds/kaxen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Andy gives Thomas an unconventional gift.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Geology

Andy stopped on his walk back to Downton as something caught his eye. He kicked a little at the dirt to unearth a small stone. He rubbed it between his thumb and index finger. It was shiny with stripes and the right shape for skipping across water.

The footman thought it was quite interesting and hoped Thomas would find it interesting as well. Andy certainly wished he could buy something more special, but he wasn’t sure what was even amazing enough for Thomas. Sometimes he still wasn’t quite sure what he did to deserve a lover like Thomas. _Lover._ Andy still wasn’t quite accustomed to thinking of that term. He nearly never said it out loud, mostly because he couldn’t admit it in front of anyone besides Thomas but also because he couldn’t believe it. His mouth had hung open for a few moments the first time Thomas had said it.  
Humming a half-remembered tune to a song, Andy continued his walk back to Downton, quickening his pace so he’d have time to wash the smell of pigs off of himself and talk to Thomas before dinner.

 

After cleaning off, Andy went to Thomas’s bedroom and gave a light tap on the door.

“Come in,” Thomas said.

“What are you reading?” Andy asked after he opened the door.

“A novel about a doctor,” Thomas replied as he put down his book. “Not sure if you’d like it.”

“I, um, found this rock while I was walking back and thought you’d like it,” Andy said as he handed Thomas the stone. “It’s good for skipping on water, but it looks too nice to drop into a lake.”

The underbutler was a little hard to read as he looked at it. Did he find it intriguing or did he think it was a stupid joke? The second that passed felt much longer than it was. Andy could feel himself turning red from ear to ear. Maybe he was being a bit daft. A rock was pretty worthless, not even usable like a pack of cigarettes.

“Eh, I guess it’s not that great,” Andy mumbled. “It’s just a rock.”

“I like it,” Thomas said.

Andy smiled, feeling very relieved, and sat down in a chair next to Thomas. Though wondering if Thomas was sparing his feelings, he found himself blurting, “Really?”

“I’m not pulling your leg. It’s nice of you,” Thomas said as he landed a kiss on Andy’s cheek.

“I wish I could get you something fancier,” Andy said.

“You were thinking of me. That’s sweet,” Thomas said. “Besides, this lasts longer than flowers or a pack of cigarettes.”

“No more flowers. Patmore thought they were for Daisy,” Andy sighed. He hadn’t wanted to crush the wildflowers he had found, which caused him to be seen with them. Daisy was nice, but Andy wasn’t sure if he could imagine a life with her. Andy later joked with Thomas that a ménage à trois would never work out, and the underbutler laughed and told him about how Daisy used to fancy him.

“Not a bad idea, really. Get a couple more and I can have a collection,” Thomas remarked as he placed the stone on the nightstand.

“I guess I have good ideas sometimes,” Andy said.

“I’ve done plenty of stupid things, so you shouldn’t feel like you are dumber than me,” Thomas remarked, “You’re catching up with your reading now, aren’t you?”

“I still read very slow,” Andy said. “It’s not fun.”

“I could look for a book on geology and we could figure out what sort of rock this is supposed to be,” Thomas said.

“I’d like that,” Andy said.

“And maybe study your geography too,” Thomas said with a smirk.

“I definitely would like that,” Andy laughed.


End file.
